So shouldering another rider off his bike is fine in road racing then?

I couldn't believe it when I saw the replay of a Sky team rider who was clearly shouldered off his bike and down a steep bank a couple of days ago. Then I saw Cavendish shouldering someone off the bike in a sprint finish. As a road-biking layman, I was astounded that no one was charged with either incident. Both looked absolutely undeniable in the replays I saw on TV.

Did I see it wrong? Is this accepted behaviour? What am I missing? I honestly don't get it.

I think you are failing to take account of the fact that they are doing 40mph in a highly tactical situation and they are only inches away from each other in the first place: Accidents happen. It's professional road racing & not commuting up your local high street.

It's a bit... odd - he does veer across the road, and as disturbingly, he leans into the impact, bracing himself. T'other guy veered across the road somewhat, but was blindsided by Cav - he's not bracing himself.

And Cavendish's interview rather smacked of someone who knew he'd been naughty, but was hoping to brazen it out. Maybe he didn't expect the rider to go down so easily

He lost his lead out man, tucked in behind the Veelers and Kittel. Once Veelers has done his job he should get out of the way. What actually happens is he turns around, sees Cav and lets himself drift that way to block him. Cavendish gives what he gets. Racing.

when he veers cav sees it knows they will hit and leans in and scuttles him - i doubt he was trying to do much beyond stay on the bike tbh
Had he not done this [lean in] he would have either gone down or been out the sprint

He lost his lead out man, tucked in behind the Veelers and Kittel. Once Veelers has done his job he should get out of the way. What actually happens is he turns around, sees Cav and lets himself drift that way to block him. Cavendish gives what he gets. Racing.

What an utter pile of shite, neither one of them did anything deliberately.

Watch the video, he is pretty buggered after doing his turn, moves a bit left, then slowly moves a bit right. It just unfortunate that he moved into the path cav was taking to get on the wheel in front.

Once the lead out man has done his job, he either swings well out off the way, or if he cant, he should hold a straight line because he knows sprinters will/could be coming either side of him. Watching where he is relative to the white line, you see can see that he goes one way then drifts the other way.
As cav demonstrated, you dont want to get in the way of a sprinter coming from behind you, hence the reason you keep going as straight as possible when you have done your turn.

Try it yourself, go out and give everything you have for 30-60 seconds and then see how straight a line you can hold when you're finished.

Veelers is a burnt out lead out rider. Should get the Fudge over to the side and out of the way, not drift back through the middle of the bunch. that's a reckless selfish move and means everyone else has to get round you. Cav gets the red mist in the last km. He's a sprinter, its all he's there for, that hand ful of last kms where he can do what they pay him for. Cav gets pushed off line, and corrects - with viger. He did what he needed to do to stay in position with no real consideration for the guy who shoved him, who as a result goes down hard. It seemed to me the distraction of that caused Cav to mis his moment to go for the sprint. He missed the chance of a win, idiot who initiated the scenario went down. Both at fault, a bit. Both lost. All said, its racing.

Every year, as regular as binners on prune juice, the armchair DS is spotted, chunnering on about a sport he or she has only ever seen on the telly, suggesting that the people who do this kind of thing for a living, the people who have been doing it for such a long time, the people who get paid lots to do it, would actually benefit from listening to Mr Iknowbetterthanallofyou.

The old boys were doing that last night at the Milton Keynes Bowl. Even shoulder to shoulder at about 27MPH sometimes you just can't see everything happening and it can get messy if you cross the wrong path.
Sort of...I'm tired.